Slingshot with magazine



F. G. ROCK Oct. 29, 1968 SLINGSHOT WITH MAGAZINE 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed March 21, 1966 INVENTQR FLOYD cs. ROCK ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 F. G. ROCK 3,407, 98

SLINGSHOT WITH MAGAZ INE Flled March 21, 1966 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FLOYD G. ROCK Bycammws ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,407,798 SLINGSHOT WITH MAGAZINE Floyd G. Rock, 309 East St., Jonesville, Mich. 49250 Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 536,004 6 Claims. (Cl. 124-20) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slingshot having a pellet dispensing magazine incorporated in the handgrip thereof wherein pellets are dispensed from the lower end of the handgri upon movement of a pellet retainer in a direction against the biasing force of a spring. Dispensing of the pellet being such that the pellet retainer may be actuated by the slingshot pouch when held in the hand of the operator wherein the pellet may be dispensed directly into the pouch. Two elements in the side of the pellet retainer are engaged by the pouch, and are forced inwardly upon actuation of the retainer by the pouch to prevent more than one pellet leaving the retainer.

Slingshots are finding increasing favor among sportsmen and are often employed for hunting small game. The pellet normally used for hunting is in the form of a spherical ball, such as a steel ball bearing, and in order to provide a supply of pellets readily accessible at all times, it is known to provide a pellet magazine within the slingshot handle, as disclosed in my prior Patent 3,057,337.

In slingshots with built-in pellet magazines, it is desirable that the pellets be readily removable from the magazine with a minimum of handling where, if desired, several pellets may be projected in a short period of time. It is, therefore, a basic object of the invention to provide a slingshot having a built-in pellet magazine wherein dispensing of the pellets from the magazine can be readily accomplished, yet accidental release of pellets from the magazine is prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slingshot having a built-in pellet magazine wherein only a single pellet is dispensed during each operation of the pellet dispenser.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slingshot with a pellet magazine and dispenser wherein the pellets are dispensed from the lower end of the slingshot handle and may be readily received directly into the slingshot pouch.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slingshot having a pellet magazine and dispenser formed in the handle thereof wherein a single pellet is dispensed with each operation of the dispenser, and the dispenser operation is of such a nature as to be quickly and easily accomplished by means of a linear movement and, if desired, the operation of the pellet dispenser may be accomplished by engagement by the slingshot pouch directly.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a slingshot pouch having means defined thereon adapted to actuate a pellet dispenser.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slingshot pouch capable of securely holding a pellet wherein the pouch may be molded of a synthetic material and includes jaws interconnected by an integral hinge portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slingshot having a built-in pellet magazine and dispenser wherein operation of the dispenser is of a simple nature and the construction and assembly of the components of the dispenser and magazine may be readily accomplished.

These and other objects of the invention arising from the details and relationships of the components of an emice bodiment thereof will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side, elevational view of a slingshot in accord with the invention, a portion of the connecting devices for the elastic slings being broken away for purposes of illustration,

FIG. 2 is a front, elevational view of a slingshot in accord with the invention, the handgrip 'body member being shown in section through a diameter of the magazine tube,

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of a slingshot constructed in accord with the invention,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, detailed, sectional view of the lower end of the handgrip body member showing the pellet magazine tube in its lowermost position,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, illustrating the magazine tube in a pellet-releasing position,

FIG. 6 is an elevational, sectional view taken at right angles to the view of FIG. 5 and illustrating the relationship of the pouch to the handgrip during dispensing of a pellet,

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the handgrip body member as taken along section VII-VII of FIG. 4,

FIG. 8 is a plan, sectional view as taken along section VIII--VIII of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a slingshot pouch constructed in accord with the invention, a pellet being shown in dotted lines.

The slingshot in accord with the invention includes a handgrip body member 10 having an exterior configuration which defines an outer handgrip surface. The body member includes an upper end portion 12 and a lower end 14. The body member is of an elongated configuration and the usual fork is defined at the upper portion thereof. The fork includes a transversely disposed portion 16 integral with the upper portion of the body member. The portion 16 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the body member and is provided with upstanding portions 18 equally spaced from the axis of the body member.

The upstanding portions 18 each include a free or upper end from which an aiming projection 20 extends. The aiming projections 20 are each of a general V-shaped configuration and stand obliquely toward each other and away from the fork portion 16. An aiming ridge 22 is also defined on the portion 16 centrally disposed between the upstanding portions 18 and in alignment with the body member axis. The provision of the aiming projections 20 and the ridge 22 facilitates aiming, and the upward oblique disposition of the projections 20 aids in judging sufficient elevation of the line of sight to compensate for the trajectory of the pellet.

Each of the upstanding portions 18 is provided with a bore 24, FIG. 1, transversely disposed to the associated portion. The bores 24 are located below the tips of the aiming projections 20 and are provided with a stepped annular shoulder 26 whereby a sling retainer 28, including a narrowed neck 30 and an enlarged bulbous ball 32, may be received within the bores. The retainers 28 also include a shoulder 34 adapted to engage the bore shoulder 26.

The resilient slings 36 are, preferably, in the form of tubes which may be formed of natural rubber or a suit able elastic, synthetic material. The retainer ball 32 and neck 30 are inserted within the end of the resilient slings 36, and a wire 38 may be tightly wrapped about the sling in axial alignment with the retainer neck to firmly afiix the associated sling on a retainer. It will be appreciated that prior to afiixing the slings on the retainers, the slings are inserted through the bores 24 whereby an assembly such as will be apparent from FIG. 1 :is possible.

A pellet pouch 40 is affixed to the other ends of the resilient slings 36 and will be later described in greater detail. The pouch is afiixed to the resilient slings by a ball 42 and neck 44 which cooperates with the inner bore of the slings in a manner similar to that of the retainers 23, and wires 46 wrapped about the slings retain the slings upon the pouch.

The handgrip body member is provided with a bore 48 which .extends in the longitudinal direction of th body member and intersects the body member bottom surface 50. The upper end of the bore 48 is closed as at .52, FIG. 2.. The bore 48 is of such a diameter and the lower end portion 14 of the body member is of such a dimension that the bore intersects oppositely disposed surfaces of the portion 14 to define a generally rectangu' vlar opening 54 on each side thereof.

A magazine tube 56 is mounted within the bore 48 for axial translation therein. The axial movement of the tube 56 within the bore is possible as the tube is shorter than the depth of the bore, as will be apparent from FIG. 2.

A compression spring 58 is interposed between the bore upper end 52 and the upper end of the tube 56 and biases the tube toward the lower end portion 14.

A pellet retainer 60 is afiixed to the lower end of the body member 10 within a complementary recess 62 by a screw 64. The pellet retainer 60 extends radially into the bore 48 in a manner which will be apparent from FIGS. 4 and 5. The retainer 60 serves as a stop for the pellet magazine tube 56 and the tube is recessed at 66 so as to receive the retainer. In the normal relationship, the recess 66 will receive the retainer 60, as shown in FIG. 4.

Upon a plurality of spherical pellets 68 being received within the inner bore 70 of the tube 56, it will be appreciated that the pellet retainer 60 sufi'iciently extends into the bore 70 to prevent the pellets from passing through the opening 72 which is defined by the intersection of the bore 48 with the body member bottom surface 50.

Axial reciprocation of the tube magazine 56 and limiting the dispensing of the pellets to one at a time is produced by a pair of elements 74 mounted in the tube 56. The tube is slotted to form a pair of diametrically opposed openings 76, FIG. 3. The elements 74 each include an arcuate portion 78 and an outer actuating or handle portion 80. The inner arcuate portion 78 includes a surface 82 which substantially corresponds to the inner diameter of the tube 56. The ends 84 of the openings 76 define abutments which are adapted to cooperate with the ends 86 of the elements 74 when the elements are moved radially, inwardly their maximum extent, a shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. The width of the element portions 78 is greater than that of the rectangular openings 54 and, thus, the elements 74 are maintained within the tube openings 76 by the body member end portion 14. It will be appreciated that the radial thickness of the element portions 78 is less than that of the tube 56 whereby the elements 74 are capable of radial movement from the innermost position, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, to the outermost position, as shown in FIG. 2, wherein the surfaces 82 are in substantial alignment with the diameter of the magazine tube bore 70.

The handle portions 80 of the elements 74 extend through the openings 54 as to be exteriorly accessible for engagement either by the fingers or the actuating shoulders defined upon the pellet pouch, as will be later described.

The disclosed pellet pouch is, preferably, formed of a molded, synthetic, plastic material such as polypropylene, nylon, or the like, and basically consists of a pair of jaw portions 88 which are hinged together to permit pivoting of the jaws. The jaws are, preferably, hinged together by a flexible web section 90 of the material of the pouch which is of a reduced dimension, as will be apparent from FIG. 9. The jaws 88 are each internally provided with a surface 92 which defines a pellet-receiving pocket or recess, and the web 90 also forms a portion of the pellet-receiving pocket, as do webs 93 extending in an axial direction. Bulbous finger-engaging portions 94 are defined on the exterior surface of the jaws 88 and the jaw portions are relieved at 96 to provide clearance to permit pivoting of the jaws relative to each other.

Each of the jaw portions 88 is provided with a shoulder 98 transversely disposed with respect to the longitudinal length of the associated jaw portion. The shoulders 98 are of sufficient dimension to permit engagement with the handle portions of the elements 74, as will be apparent from FIG. 6. As previously described, the outer end of each of the jaw portions 88 is provided with a neck 44 and ball 42 for permitting attachment of the pouch to the resilient slings 36.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the integral molded construction of the pouch 40 permits the jaw portions to be pivoted with respect to each other to a fully open position such as shown in FIG. 3 to a somewhat closed position, as shown in FIG. 9. Pivoting of the jaw portions 88 is readily accomplished by positioning of the fingers on the portions 94 with respect to the hinge 90. Squeezing of the jaw portions at a position lower than the hinge will open the jaws such as shown in FIG. 3, while movement of the fingers toward the sling end of the jaws will tend to close the jaws and define a closely defined pellet pocket. The bulbous portions 94 are so shaped and related to the hinge 90 that when the users fingers are placed on the portions 94 nearest the slings 36, an effective grip on the pouch for tensioning the resilient slings is provided which also tends to close the pellet chamber defined by the jaw portions 88.

In operation, the magazine 56 will have a supply of spherical pellets 68 located therein, and the tube will be in engagement with the retainer 60, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. When it is desired to dispense a pellet into the pouch 40, the pouch is disposed below the body member 10 such that the shoulders 98 engage the element handle portions 80 and the pouch pocket is in alignment with the opening 72. The shoulders 98 are of such a width that the natural squeezing of the jaws 88 by the thumb and forefinger of the user moves the elements 74 radially inward until the surfaces 86 engage the tube opening ends 84, as in FIG. 8. Such radial movement of the elements 74 constricts the magazine tube passage and as the openings 76 and elements 74 are interposed between the pellet engaging retainer 60 and the pellet directly above, the elements 74 will retain all of the pellets 68 within the maga zine except the pellet in direct engagement with the pellet retainer 60.

As the user moves the pouch, element 74, and tube 56 upwardly, with respect to the body member 10, FIG. 6, the lowermost pellet remains in engagement with the corner 100 of the retainer 60, and the tube 56 moves upwardly with respect to the pellet. As soon as the tube 56 has moved upwardly to a sufiicient extent to separate the retainer corner 100 and the tube point 102 by a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the lower pellet, the pellet will fall away from the retainer 60, as shown in FIG. 5, and pass through the opening 72 and fall directly into the aligned pocket of the pouch.

The operator then releases engagement of the pouch shoulders 98 with the elements 74, and the tube magazine 56 will return to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 under the influence of the spring 58. The freely, radially movable elements 74 will be moved outwardly due to the weight of the pellets within the tube acting thereon and the lowermost pellet 68 will engage the retainer 60, as in FIG. 4, wherein the pellets are now arranged for the next dispensing cycle. Of course, if desired, the elements 74 may be directly manipulated by the thumb and forefinger to permit the pellet to drop into the users hand, rather than directly into the slingshot pouch.

The pellets 68 are loaded into the tube magazine 56 by inserting the pellets, one at a time, into the opening 72. As the pellets 68 are forced into the opening 72, the engagement of the pellets with the tube lower end will force the tube 56 upwardly to permit the pellets to pass around the end of the retainer 60 and into the tube bore. As each pellet is inserted into the tube bore 70, the tube will return to the position shown in FIG. 4.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the magazine structure of the invention permits the pellets to be dispensed one at a time and, if desired, directly into the pocket of a pellet pouch. Thus, a plurality of pellets may be rapidly dispensed and projected in succession. The use of the aiming projections 20 and ridge 22 quickly permits the user to center the target between the forked upstanding portions and determine the elevation of the slingshot relative to the target. The molded pouch provides a long-wearing pouch which is easy and comfortable to hold and manipulate and which securely confines the pellet and permits unrestricted release thereof. The pellet shoulders permit the pellet to operate the pellet-dispensing apparatus and, thereby, minimize handling of the pellets during shooting.

It will be appreciated that various modifications to the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and it is intended that the invention be defined only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A slingshot comprising, in combination, a handgrip body member having an upper end and a lower end and a longitudinal axis, a fork defined on said upper end of said handgrip body member, elastic pellet projecting means mounted upon said fork, a bore defined in said body member extending in the longitudinal direction thereof having a lower end adjacent said body member lower end, a magazine tube mounted in said bore for reciprocable movement therein, said tube adapted to receive pellets and having an open lower end disposed adjacent and communicating with said bore lower end, an opening defined in said body member lower end communicating with said lower end of said bore, a spring within said bore biasing said tube toward said body member lower end, a pellet retainer mounted on said body member adjacent said opening preventing movement of a pellet through said opening at the lowermost position of said tube within said bore, movement of said tube a pre-' determined distance from said body member lower end permitting a pellet to pass around said retainer through said opening, and pellet-holding means mounted on said tube adjacent said tube lower end permitting a single pellet at a time to pass from said tube through said opening upon said tube being located said predetermined distance from said body member lower end.

2. In a slingshot as in claim 1 wherein said bore intersects said body member lower end, said opening comprising the intersection of said bore with said body member lower end, said pellet retainer being mounted within said opening.

3. In a slingshot as in claim 1 wherein said pelletholding means comprises at least one radially movable element mounted on said tube and adapted to be radially movable into and out of the path of movement of pellets within said tube, said element being axially spaced on said tube from the lower end thereof a distance approximately equal to the internal diameter of said tube.

4. In a slingshot as in claim 1 wherein said pelletholding means comprises at least one radially movable element mounted upon said tube, said element including an inner portion adapted to be selectively movable into and out of the path of movement of pellets within said tube and an outer portion exteriorly accessible of said handgrip body member, said outer portion permitting manual operation of said element in a radial direction and permitting manual axial translation of said tube within said bore.

5. In a slingshot as in claim 4 wherein a pair of radially movable elements are mounted on said tube, said elements being in diametrical relation to each other and each including an inner portion and an exteriorly accessible outer portion.

6. In a slingshot as in claim 5 wherein said pellet projecting means includes a pellet pouch, a pair of hinged jaws defined on said pouch adapted to grasp a pellet therebetween, a shoulder defined on each of said jaws, said jaw shoulders adapted to each engage the outer portion of a pellet-holding element on said pouch being disposed in alignment with said opening whereby said pouch may be used to axially translate said tube and directly receive a pellet dispensed from said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,625,925 l/ 1953 Osborne 124-20 2,645,217 7/1953 Fisher 124-20 2,807,254 9/1957 Stribling 124-20 2,996,060 8/ 1961 Appleby 124-20 XR 3,057,337 10/1962 Rock et al. 12449 XR 3,263,664 8/1966 Bauer et al 124--45 3,270,734 9/ 1966 Clements 124-20 3,285,236 11/1966 Shafer l2420 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

P. E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner. 

